Art isn’t something you see on walls or stages — it fills everyday moments. From rustling leaves and swirling coffee to the rhythm of footsteps, there is a flair. If one could step back for a moment, stop and look around, they might notice art in the mundane.
Students of Dr MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women and Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film and Television Institute capture these less-appreciated moments. “I started by observing there is beauty, rather art, in the little dance of her jhumka (earring) when she laughs,” says Nasreen Fathima, a final-year student.
Nasreen uncovers the magic nestled in the routine in her photo series, ‘On Board’. It takes the viewers through visuals she sees on a bus ride to her college — a woman sitting by the window gazes at buildings, a child clinging on to a wooden pole fearing she might fall, girls laughing, and men hanging on the footboard.
Along with Nasreen, 13 other students have displayed their work at the ongoing Kaana Katral — Learning to See, at VR Chennai. Visuals of a woman on the pedal of a sewing machine, a man covered by shelves of books, different emotions in the human eye, the history of Thirupaachi aruva (a weapon), a grandmother cooking and a lot more themes are explored at this month-long visual display.
Photo speak
Presented by the Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB) Foundation, viewers interact with captivating visual narratives that are both personal and global. Priya Banik, program manager and photography educator at CPB Foundation, is one of the mentors of the seven girls and boys who are presenting their works.
She says, “In most colleges, students learn photography as part of their Visual Communication course but are not utilising what they learn. Secondly, what is being taught is very different from what is in the market. Once they enter the industry, it is very different from what they have learnt. So, I want to give the students what is required.” Keeping this in mind, CPB conducted a six-month-odd workshop. From how to hold a DSLR and the techniques — portraits, black and white, long shots, positioning of objects, etc. — students were taught everything.
Priya adds, “We taught them visual storytelling, where they learn to tell a story through photographs. We also taught them a little about video and reel making, because today, everything is about reels and Instagram.” Hence, Instagram fame Zoha Sanofer, Neeraj Elangovan, Farhana Suhail and Pranav Savla, addressed the students on Saturday.
Neeraj says, “Even though it is a photography exhibition, it is good to see creators are recognised as a part of this community. Art is very subjective. So, artists have to find a middle ground where the creation satisfies them and the message gets delivered to masses.” Echoing the thought, Farhana shares, “CPB has been bringing art to the city and with this initiative they have brought two communities — artist and content creators — together. Because with social media, new and emerging artists are getting discovered faster and recognised. This validation is all an artist wishes for.”
Zoha voices the thoughts of the many people who do not know to appreciate art. “I was someone who did not appreciate art because it was simply not something that was a part of my life growing up. I think a majority of people are like me. Now that I am here and going to museums, and attending art-related events, I realised that I did not take the time out to appreciate art enough. Now, I want a piece of art that I love to be a part of my surroundings in my household,” she says.
By bringing art from the galleries to malls, the craft has become accessible to a larger and wider audience. But, it also has its effects. Pranav says, “The core foundation of art has not changed. It is a medium to tell a story, convey a point, and evoke emotions. But, how we do it has changed, and that is not just through technology. Digital art has given birth to so many artists that you do not need to go to art school to learn art. You can be anyone and can start making art. On the one hand, such enablers have allowed us to create a lot of art, but on the other hand, we have technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). It has become harder to distinguish what is being created versus what has been copied and generated artificially.”
Though AI has entered various fields, it cannot replicate the unique perspectives and a photographer’s creativity. The human touch involves intuition, artistic vision, and emotions. “Teaching the students from two institutions helped me see visual stories in everything. I did not know a bus ride to college involves so many stories, looking at my parents’ work is a story, or the activity of strolling on the terrace has stories bustling. The students made me realise that stories are at home,” says Priya, adding that no two photos can be similar. There are many nuances in a photograph that cannot be replicated or staged, though the lensman is the same.